Can dumping apparatus and the like



y 1952 v. SCHWARZKOPF 7 2,598,193

CAN DUMPING APPARATUS AND THE LIKE Filed April 5, 1946 2 SI-IEETS-SHEET 1 W my May 27, 1952 v. SCHWARZKOPF 2,598,193

CAN DUMPING APPARATUS AND THE LIKE Filed April 5, 1946 2 'SHEETSSHEET 2 Y L m; nmmm] cleaning the cans.

Patented May 27, 1952 --'-V.e rgil Schwarzkopf La i The-.Lathrop-Baulson -acernoration. ciiflllinois Grange; 111., assignor= -to Company, Chicago; 111.,

e App'licationApril 5, 1946;.Serial No.2.659;.806

' This-invention .relats to can;.dumping: apparatusand the like. The invention-isparticularly ...useful in: the handling of milk cans, dumping. the $03,115, and feeding the emptied cans to a can-washing machine.

.Thetrucks-which bring-milk'from the farm to. the. dairyor milk plant today bring in both i grade A and grade B milk. Because of the necessityofkeeping the twogrades unmixed, it has been necessary for. the'dairy plants to. have two receiving rooms. The-trucks unload the grade. fA-milk.into one room and then drive to anothen-positiona-nd unloadthe grade B. milk :inranothenroom. Thisiinvolves ahea-vy expendi- -=ture "for; equipment requiring.- greater building space,; at least, two can -wa'shingrmaich-inesgand vtwosetsrof conveyors for theincoming andout- "going. .o-f: the-milk: cans. .;In: addition; theprocess 20f rreceivingt-milk: and returning-the washed cans to the-truck is delayed. .An object of the presentinvention .isto-proyide special structure which :enablesmilkcans :containing-both grades of..milk to :be'received at. a; single: station, and" the emptied milk cans ;.passed througha single washing-machineythus saying.considerable time and equipment. A further-object is to provide improved grid mechanism which enables the cans upon beingdumped to-bemoved-readily to a central'receiving point Another, object isto provide simple mechanism for enabling the. operator to dump a-can selectively i into. one or the other of two spaced dump cans while, atthe same time, passing-the emptied can toa centralreceiving point adjacentthe can "washing machineetc. -Yet another object isto leading" to the can washing machine.

provide a pivotally mounted-support adapted to be'swung. to aposition adjacent eitheroftwo spaced dump cans to permit the dumping of the contents of the can into the selected dump can,

in combination with a, substantially-'Y-shaped grid which permitsthe. movement of the emptied can inwardly to a (machine for conditioning or Other specific objects and advantages will appear as the specification proceeds.

The invention is illustrated, in. a; preferred 1 embodiment, by the accompanying drawing, in

which Figure 1 is a broken planv view of apparatus embodyingmy -invention;-Fig.-..2,..a broken side .yiew..in--.elevation;.Fig. 3,. a; plan view. of .:the Y-shaped grid employed; Fig. 4,; a sideview in elevation of the structure shown in Fig; 3' and Fig. 5,. a broken perspective view of cooperating portions of the. apparatus.

ffIH'fll illustration given; I wdesignatesag conv yor track equipped-*with-Kthe usual-"chaimconveyor- I I and' adapted to receive cans'froni-ithe --truck at the-pointindicatedat IZK'IThe-conVeyQr Ill leads through -the'wal1gI3 of "the-building and into the receiving room where the cansare delivered to. a receiving, platform 14. The-forward end or the-platform I4 is roundedas indicated at .15. A can "dumping 'support'16 having j-sp'aced raised shoulders 'I 1" is pivotally mounted/upon the platform adjacent the receivin platform"l4.

The member I6 issupported by means of a brace 18 upon-the "pivot-member 19 so that support 16- maybe swung readily tothe two positionsifidicated in Fig; 1.

.,A pair of dumphcanslfl are supportedjjust ahead of the platform 14 and slightlyflaterally :construction: and "since this 'structurejiisfpldgg.a .detailedjldescription is unnecessary. Belowigithe dump can 20. is the Weigh can 2| jofjtheusual construction and milk fromfthe, weigh jean} ljj is -re- .ceived. bythe. receiving can 22. j Inv view of, the

common ,use of .thefstructures 20,.21. anezz; a

detailed description is. here believed unnecessary.

' Extending .between the receiving..cans1'22gis. a

can washing machine 23 equipped withaiforwardly extending, platform. 24- whiehreceives the cans. -Automatic-conveyormeans (not-shown) carries. the cans. from the platform 24-. through the ..can.washing .machine. 23 and the cleansed cansarethenv carried. by 2 the conveyor; Zita-a point .where. they may .be :returnedtothe :truck. The platform 24, which is referred to,,.herein as .the receiving point for the can washing machine 23, is actually a discharging point for; the emptied .cansand .will bereferred toherein astthe dischargeplatform 24.

.In orderto returnthe emptied cans whichhave been placed upon the shoulders I! in,the-.emptying. operation,..to..the. discharge.-p1atf0rm. 24, I

- provide, a substantially-veshaped grid which-leads The Y-shaped- 1 grid. 26, ..asshown moreclearly in -Fig. l 3,. comprises. axu-shaped -itralmember. 21, and-at their inner ends form'va esmooth continuation ofwthescentral member. 21.

3 The central member 21 is also provided with cross strips 3! and with the longitudinally extending track members 32. The entire grid 26 thus precents a reticulate structure along which cans may be moved readily from either of the dump cans 20 onto the discharge platform 24.

Operation In the operation of the apparatus, a can is delivered from the truck to the receiving end l2 of the conveyor l and delivered to the receiving platform M. The operator who stands adjacent the platform l4 and preferably on an elevated stand adjacent the platform, notes the grade of the milk, as indicated on the can, and if the milk is grade A will direct it toward one of the dump cans or, if the milk is grade B, will direct it toward the other of the dump cans. It is merely necessary for the operator to swing the support member '5 laterally to the position in line with the selected dump can and to incline the milk can in that direction. The can is tilted upon the rocking shoulders I! to cause the milk to pour into the selected milk can and after the pouring operation, the rotation of the can is continued so as to bring the open neck of the can directly upon the grid wing portion 28. A slight push of the can moves it inwardly and onto the discharge platform 24 where automatic mechanism carries the can into the washing machine 23. The can is carried from the washing machine 23 along conveyor 25 to a suitable discharge point where the cans can be readily placed upon the truck which has just delivered the filled cans.

It will be noted that with the new structure, a single washing machine may be employed and the machine is substantially in line with the receiving platform 14. The receiving tanks may flank the washing machine and the weigh cans and dump cans may be inclined inwardly in the space between the aligned receiving and discharging platforms. The only extra mechanism which requires operation is the small support member 16 which the operator can swing easily from one to the other of the selected positions as desired.

While in the foregoing specification, I have set out the structure in considerable detail as illustrative of one embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that such details may be varied widely by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. In combination with a milk can handling apparatus having an incoming conveyor for filled milk cans terminating in a receiving platfrom and having a discharging platform for empty milk cans longitudinally spaced from said receiving platform and provided with an outgoing conveyor for removing empty milk! cans from said discharging platform, a pair of dump cans spaced between and laterally of said platforms, can dumping support means between said receiving platform and said dump cans for supporting the cans during the dumping of said cans selectively into either, of said dump cans by upending said cans over said support means in alignment with the selected dump can, and

diverging track members extending outwardly from said discharging platform towards said dump cans and providing guides along which empty milk cans may be pushed onto said discharging platform, said track members having miter nrolongations extending laterally over said dump cans and lying immediately in front of said dumping support means so as to receive the open end of a milk can when the can is upended, said outer prolongations being in grid form to allow the passage of milk therethrough into said dump cans when said can is upended and when the same is moved laterally thereon, whereby a random assortment of milk cans containing two grades of milk can be supplied by the incoming conveyor to said receiving platform, while upon reaching said platform the cans containing milk of each grade can be dumped into separate dump cans and then re assembled on said discharge platform for admission to said outgoing conveyor without interrupting the sequence of flow of the milk cans.

2. In combination with a milk can handling apparatus having an incoming conveyor for filled milk cans terminating in a receiving platform on which the cans can be temporarily halted and having a discharging platform for empty milk cans longitudinally spaced from said receiving platform and provided with an outgoing conveyor for removing the empty milk cans from said discharging platform, a pair of dump cans supported between and partially laterally of said platforms, means extending laterally of said discharge platform for receiving the milk poured into said dump cans, can dumping support means between said receiving platform and said dump cans for supporting the cans during the dumping of said cans selectively into either of said dump cans by upending said cans over said support means in alignment with the selected dump can, and track members extending outwardly from said discharging platform towards said dump cans to provide guides along which empty milk cans may be pushed onto said discharging platform, said track members having diverging portions extending laterally across said dump cans and having can receiving portions lying immediately in front of said dump support means so as to receive the end of a milk can when the can is upended, said outer prolongations being in grid form to allow the passage of milk therethrough into said dump cans as a can is upended and then moved laterally towards said discharge platform, whereby a random assortment of milk cans containing two grades of milk can be supplied by the incoming conveyor to said receiving platform, while upon reaching said platform the cans containing milk of each grade can be dumped into separate dump cans and then moved continuously to said discharge platform for admission to said outgoing conveyor without changing the sequence of the flow of cans from said incoming conveyor to said outgoing conveyor.

3. In combination with a milk can handling apparatus having an incoming conveyor for filled milk cans terminating in a receiving platform and having a discharging platform for empty milk cans longitudinally spaced from said receiving platform and provided with an outgoing conveyor for removing empty milk cans from said dischaging platform, a pair of dump cans spaced between and laterally of said platforms, a candumping support member pivotally mounted upon said receiving platform and having a portion for receiving the neck of a milk can to sup port the same while the can is being upended to discharge into a dump can, said support member being swingable to a position in alignment with either of said milk cans, and diverging track members extending outwardly from said discharging platform to points over said dump cans immediately in front of said dumping support member when aligned with the particular dump can so as to receive the end of a milk can when the same is upended, said track members having their outer end portions in grid form to allow the passage of milk therethrough into said dump cans as the milk cans are upended and moved towards said discharging platform, said track members also providing a guide along which the can may be pushed onto said discharging platform, whereby a random assortment of milk cans containing two grades of milk can be supplied by the incoming conveyor to said receiving platform, while upon reaching said platform the cans containing milk of each grade can be dumped into separate dump cans and then reassembled on said discharge platform for admission to said outgoing conveyor without interrupting the sequence of flow of the milk cans.

4. The combination of claim 1 in which the track members are in the form of a Y-shaped grid having a central portion extending from said discharge platform and laterally-extending wings extending over said dump cans so as to terminate immediately in front of said dumping 6 support means, whereby a milk can upon being upended upon one of said laterally-extending Wings will drain into the dump can as the milk can is moved towards said central portion of the grid.

VERGIL SCHWARZKOPF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 

